Stranded
by John Sayers
Summary: The Doctor's TARDIS is damaged at the end of "Day of the Doctor" and now he is stranded on Earth. The relationship between the Doctor and Alex grows and glimpses of the Doctor's past and his dark side start to show. ***Please Review***
1. Chapter 1

**This story starts two hours after the events of Day of the Doctor. This story is not as fast paced as the last one and deals more with the Doctor and his feeling of being stranded on Earth. The Doctor's and Alex's relationship grows as the Doctor slowly feels more and more comfortable around the family.**

**Disclaimer: **Doctor Who is owned by BBC and Wizards of Waverly Place by Disney Channel

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Stranded

The Doctor stood outside Buck's near the street looking at the sky. Rain clouds rolled in and in started to downpour across the city. The Doctor kept standing like he didn't even feel the rain hitting him. His mind wandered to the battle last night. The fight between the UNIT forces and the Ood against the Hoixes. The Doctor thought about Alex and how much power flowed through her body when she saved his life. He had never seen that much power in someone that wasn't possessed by the Bad Wolf. He couldn't think of how that power didn't have a lasting effect on her, but there were things he didn't even know. He liked that. He didn't want to know everything. He even told people that when he knows everything, he just may stop and do nothing for the rest of his life.

Just as soon as the downpour started, it stopped. The clouds rolled away and the moon shone down on the city once again, but the lights of the city drowned most of the moonlight out. He was ready to get back to the TARDIS and make sure she was alright. He had checked before they left and she was still filtering out smoke from earlier that day.

Alex walked onto the soaked sidewalk and stood next to the Doctor, "I never said, well I usually never say it at all, but anyway thank you."

"For what?" asked the Doctor.

"For showing up out of nowhere and saving the day," said Alex.

"You're the one who helped stop the attack," replied the Doctor.

"I know, but if you hadn't been in the sub station when that creature appeared, I would have lost my best friend, and you let me stay with you on the TARDIS when you went to the crater. If you had have taken me back, the city would have been eaten alive," Alex told the Doctor.

"If either one of us weren't there, that would have been a disaster," said the Doctor.

"Yeah well, that was it," said Alex heading back to the restaurant, leaving the Doctor to stare into space.

"I meant it you know," said the Doctor turning to Alex.

"What?" asked Alex.

"That I'm proud of you," answered the Doctor.

"Thank you," Alex replied sincerely, "Doctor, how old are you?"

"To old for you that's for sure," said the Doctor with a smile.

"Not like that," snapped Alex.

"2,277," said the Doctor.

"What?" asked Alex.

"I'm 2,277 years old," told the Doctor, "Why'd you ask?"

"You look young, but you know so much and your eyes," said Alex, "They are ancient."

"Yeah they are," said the Doctor quietly, "But I am young. I'm in my 14th incarnation and I'm only 2000 years old. I should be about 8000 years old by now, but I have a habit of getting into trouble."

"Pfft, I know what you mean," said Alex.

The rest of the Russo family left the restaurant with Harper. They saw Alex leaning against the wall and the Doctor standing there with hands in his pockets.

"Are we interrupting anything?" asked Jerry.

"No," the Doctor, "I'm just ready to get back and maybe get some sleep."

"That sounds good," said Jerry, "When did it rain?"

"A few minutes ago," said the Doctor, "Oh and I wouldn't trust the meteorologists for the next few days. They'll be wrong most of the time. The Rift caused an atmospheric disturbance that will take a while to fix, but don't worry it's nothing."

"You four go ahead," said Theresa, "We're going to go and get Max, we'll see you in a bit."  
"Wait, before you go," said the Doctor taking two rings out of his pockets, "These are biodampers. They will make you invisible to anything that comes through the Rift, but humans will still see you. Be quick though, they have a short lifespan. The rings not the people."

"Thank you," said Theresa. They hailed a cab and got in.  
The Doctor, Alex, Justin, and Harper started walking back to the Waverly Sub Station.

After a few minutes, Alex asked, "How is being 2,277 years old young and what do you mean your 14th incarnation? You've also said you had a fifth, tenth, and eleventh self and you told me that that was story for another time. I think that time is now."

"Yeah you're right," said the Doctor.

"You're over 2000 years old?" asked Harper.

"You don't look like your even out of your twenties," said Justin.

"My people don't age after the first incarnation. We just regenerate," explained the Doctor, "Regeneration is a way my people cheat death. It's a complete change of physical appearance and a change in personality. I've regenerated 13 times. Only my first regeneration was due to natural causes. All the others were because I was forced or mortally wounded."

"How many times can you 'regenerate'?" asked Justin.

"An infinite number of times," said the Doctor, "But the Time Lords set a law stating that a single Time Lord is allowed 12 regenerations or 13 lives."

"But you said that you've regenerated 13 time and you're in your 14th life. Why?" asked Justin.

"It's because I'm a rule breaker," said the Doctor.

"Gee so is someone else I know," said Justin looking over at Alex, but Alex knew why the Doctor had made it to his 14th life and it wasn't because he broke that rule.

"I was actually forced to regenerate when I was in my second life. My people said that was part of the punishment and the other part was to be exiled to Earth during my third life. That's how I know so much about UNIT. I worked with them in the 1970s. Maybe it was the 80s. Well anyway I still didn't learn my lesson I guess and I was put on trial several other times. I'm what you would call an ultimate rule breaker. I enjoyed it so much to, but then the War came."

"Well no wonder Alex seems to like you," replied Justin, "She's always breaking the rules."

"What do you mean 'the War'?" asked Harper.

The Doctor just ignored her and kept walking. Harper was about to ask again, when Alex grabbed her arm and shook her head no.

"Why are we walking?" asked the Doctor. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the transporter watch, "Everyone hold onto the my hand holding the watch."

Everyone did what the Doctor asked and the Doctor pressed the button. All four of them vanished in a blue light, silently.

At the Waverly Sub Station, Jerry, Theresa and Max walked into the sub station and sat their things down. Max noticed the big blue Police Call Box near the staircase and ran over to.

"Mom, Dad, what's this?" asked Max, "And can I keep it?"

"No you can't keep it. That belongs to person that's going to be staying with us for a while," said Theresa.

"Who is going to stay with us?"  
"The Doctor. Weren't you listening?" asked Jerry.

"Maybe," replied Max. It was obvious he didn't listen to them on the way home.

A flash of blue light appeared in the sub station and the Doctor, Alex, Harper and Justin all appeared in the room.

"That was cool," said Max.

"No that was painful," said Justin.

"No joking," said Harper.

"I'm fine," mocked Alex.

"Oh shut up," snapped Justin.

"What was that? Alex did you do something to them?" asked Theresa.

"No that was me," said the Doctor, "Teleport watch. It's technology not magic."

The Doctor walked to the TARDIS and unlocked the doors. When he walked in he sighed as he saw a damaged control room. Debris was scattered around. Chairs were thrown all over the place. There were cracks in the walls, but there was good thing, the smoke cleared. The Doctor walked over to the control console and looked at how extensive the damage was. The TARDIS was healing the parts that it could heal, but Ood Sigma was right, the Doctor would be here months trying to repair the TARDIS.

Alex walked in a few moments later and saddened at the sight of the wounded TARDIS. With all the smoke in the room earlier in the day, she didn't see the extent of the damage, but she could. It was terrible. She thought that a bomb went off in the control room. It was a complete mess.

The Doctor stepped off the stage and sat in one of the chairs in the front row just staring at the TARDIS's controls. He was going to have to get this place fixed before he developed cabin fever on a global scale. Being trapped in one time and on one planet didn't make him feel happy, by he had the Rift and a crazy family to entertain him. He just leaned back and closed his eyes.

Alex sat down next to the Doctor and put her head on his shoulder. The Doctor opened his eyes and put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned in on him.

"I'm sorry about the TARDIS," said Alex.

"Don't be worried she's been through worse," said the Doctor.

After that the two just sat there in silence, watching the control console slowly move in front of them, a slight humming in the background.

Outside the TARDIS, the others wanted to go, but they didn't think they should. They hadn't been in that battle. They didn't see or go through what Alex or the Doctor had to go through. They took comfort, though, in the fact that those two would look out for each others' backs.

"Mom was that the Doctor you were talking about?" asked Max.

"Yes it was," said Theresa.

"Oh okay just asking, but hey why is his spaceship so small and how can Alex and him fit in there?"

"Because it's bigger on the inside," replied Justin.

"Really I'm going to check it out!" exclaimed Max.

"No! No you're not," said Jerry.

"Why?" asked Max.

"We'll tell you when you go upstairs. We had a very crazy weekend. More crazy than a normal weekend," said Jerry.

"Okay," moped Max.

A blast of thunder roared throughout the room and another downpour pummeled New York.

"Another one?" asked Theresa.

"Well the Doctor did say it would do this for a while," replied Jerry.

"It doesn't mean we have to like it," said Theresa, "What about Alex?"

"The Doctor will take care of her," said Jerry, "There's something about him that I trust."

"It could be the fact he saved your daughter," said Justin.

"Yeah well, we've had a long weekend," said Harper, "We should all go to bed."

The others all agreed and went their separate ways.

In the TARDIS, Alex had fallen asleep with the Doctor by her side. He slowly got up and laid Alex down on the chairs. The Doctor went to the control console and pushed a button which caused the chairs to extend out three times the original length, and the chair's cushions got softer The Doctor left the room for a few minutes. He came back with a blanket and a pillow. He gently lifted Alex's head and put the pillow underneath it and he put the blanket on her pulling it up to her neck. Alex rolled over and continued to sleep, while the Doctor just walked up onto the stage and sat down in front of the drum set looking engine.

The Doctor looked off into space and told the TARDIS quietly, "I'm sorry you have to go through this, but we'll get through it together." After a few more moments, the Doctor stood up and walked into another room of the TARDIS. He walked down a small corridor and walked into his own bedroom. He didn't do anything accept for lie down on the bed and got some sleep.

The storm outside passed and the moon and stars again shone down on the street.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Six hours passed before the Doctor got up and went into a bathroom where he washed up and changed clothes. He changed into a blue jacket with a purple undershirt, yellow sport sweatpants and red tennis shoes.

The Doctor walked into a room with a holographic projection of the solar system. He stood there staring at the Earth sphere in the room. He tapped the planet and it zoomed in on Earth. He turned the planet with his hands to North America and he tapped on the state of New York. It zoomed in further and the Doctor selected New York City.

The map turned from vertical and horizontal. When it went horizontal, the city went into three dimensions and the entire sewer system was placed below the street. The Doctor walked over to the wall of that room and pushed a few buttons and the holographic map locked. The Doctor set the TARDIS to detect any Rift activity and it would be recorded in the TARDIS's hologram. The Doctor would also find out what kind of alien or creature would get through because of the hologram. The Doctor stepped out of the room and shut the door.

He walked out into the control room and Alex was still sleeping there on the chairs. He just smiled as he sat down in a chair on the stage. He glanced at the clock in the back of the room and saw it said 4:37 am. He leaned back in the chair and just sat there thinking about how he would have to spend his spare time. He laughed to himself as he thought about having cabin fever being trapped on one planet.

After a half an hour, the Doctor got up and walked out of the TARDIS into the sub station. The Doctor walked over to the door and stared out for a few minutes. It was completely dead outside. The Doctor walked over to the bar and sat on a stool. He took a piece of paper that said "Vote Montana" on one side and he turned it over to the blank side. He took out a pencil from his pocket. He started drawing a mountain range.

Two hours later at 6:45 am, the Doctor was still drawing when Theresa walked down the staircase and saw him sitting there drawing.

"How long have you been up," she asked with a yawn.

"About two hours, give or take a few minutes," said the Doctor.

"How long did you sleep?"

"Six hours," said the Doctor, "I slept longer than I usually do. I usually just sleep four hours."  
"How do manage on that?"  
"My people don't need as much sleep as humans," said the Doctor not looking up from his drawing.

Theresa walked over to the Doctor and saw the picture. It was perfect as if it was an actual photo. There was mountain range beneath twin suns. A city in a giant glass dome was between two mountains that were separated from the rest of the mountains. On those mountains there were hundreds of little trees and even the grass was visible.

"That's beautiful. What is it?" asked Theresa.

"Gallifrey," said the Doctor.

"Gallifrey?"  
"My home planet," said the Doctor as he pushed the paper away finished.

That was Theresa noticed a small figure standing a hill outside the dome. It was person dressed in robes and a strange y thing that was behind the head. The head had a small hat on it.

"Who's that?" asked Theresa.

"Just a Time Lord councilman."

"Oh," said Theresa.

"So do the kids have school today?" asked the Doctor as he stood up and stretched.

"Yeah they do," answered Theresa, "Where's Alex?"  
"Asleep in the TARDIS," replied the Doctor, "She fell asleep on the chairs last night. I didn't want to wake her so I just left her there, but I got her a pillow and a blanket. She has a connection to the TARDIS. It likes her and she likes it. She feels more comfortable in there than anywhere else. I can see that in her eyes."

"What do you mean she has a connection?"  
"You should have seen her Saturday night," said the Doctor, "I have never seen such power outside of the Bad Wolf. She was beautiful. She reminded me of one of my former traveling companions."  
"How many have you had?" asked Theresa.

"I'm not really sure. I've had so many," said the Doctor, "Women, men, humans, aliens, robots. You name it."

"You don't look that old."  
"I am old though," said the Doctor, "2,277 years old the exact."

"Well you look good for someone over 2000 years old."

"Thank you," replied the Doctor.

The Doctor grabbed another piece of paper and started to drawing something else.

"I'm stranded," said the Doctor.

"What do you mean?" asked Theresa.

"My TARDIS is damaged and I can't travel anywhere. I might be a little agitated for the next few days or maybe weeks. I'm not used to staying in place for long. When my job is over I just leave. I don't stay."

"Yeah, well, I'm going back upstairs. You can come up there if you want to," said Theresa.

"Maybe," said the Doctor as Theresa went back up the stairs.

An hour later, the Doctor was still sitting at the bar when Alex came out of the TARDIS and saw the Doctor sitting there.

"How long have you been up?" asked Alex.

"A few hours," said the Doctor, "TARDIS wake you up?"

"Yeah she did. It was really annoying," replied Alex as she walked upstairs.

The Doctor finished his picture and left it on the counter before walking to the door and leaving the sub station. He started walking down Waverly Place when a short kid jumped up from the newspaper stand. He wore a blue beret, sweater and sweatpants. He wore a black undershirt and several rings with an expensive watch. Around his neck was a necklace.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" he asked.

"A short little kid thinking he's a mob boss," replied the Doctor, "Besides why are you putting on this charade before eight in the morning."

"Oh a wise guy I see," replied the kid.

"Yeah I am a wise guy," said the Doctor, "Listen kid I don't really feel like talking so why don't you move onto the next person who'll walk down this street."

"I can tell you're new to this area. I'll let you in on a little secret: I run this place."

The Doctor lowered his face and looked coldly in the kid's eyes, "You may run this place, but you don't run me. I suggest you leave me alone and not bug me again or there will be consequences Frankie."

The kid just stood there, "How did you know my name?"

"Because it's a generic mob name," replied the Doctor as he stood up and started walking away.

"I'll give you that, but I'll show you that I do run this place and you will be needing my protection," said Frankie.

The Doctor whirled around and grabbed the kid's jacket and lifted him clean off the ground. The Doctor pressed him against a wall and with the face of a madman told him, "I will not be needing your protection. I have seen things that you would send you into your bed in the fetal position with you crying your eyes out. You are not threatening to me and in fact all you are to me is a joke! Let _me_ tell you something kid: my enemies call me several names. Do you want to hear them?"  
Frankie didn't move, but swallowed hard out of fear.

"They call me the Oncoming Storm, the Destroyer of Worlds, the Great Devourer, the Great Wanderer, the Lonely Angel, the Lonely God, but out of all of those there is one name that strikes fear into the hearts of all who oppose me or dare to oppose me. Do you want to know what name that is?"  
Frankie was petrified as the Doctor's grip tightened and the Doctor's eyes grew wilder.

"The name that strikes fear into hearts of those who stand against me is 'Doctor'. They call me the Doctor. Have you ever killed Frank?"

Frankie shook his head no.

"Well I've killed. I've killed a lot. I got so good, so clever, that I manipulated people into killing themselves. There is an event in the universe that sends even the almighty Daleks into unrestrained fear. That event was called 'The Doctor's Inferno'. It was _my_ inferno."

The Doctor dropped Frankie and the kid looked up at the Doctor standing over him, his eyes going back to normal.

"Did I get my point across kid?" asked the Doctor.

Frankie nodded before running off.

The Doctor continued on his way. He walked for a few miles before realizing in which direction he came from. Even if he got lost, the Doctor could feel his way back through his connection to the TARDIS or the teleport watch, whose coordinates were still on the Waverly Sub Station.

Back at the Waverly Sub Station, the entire Russo family and Harper were in the restaurant. The four kids were getting ready to head off to school and the parents were working at the sub station. Alex walked up to the bar and noticed the two pictures left there.

She picked up one with fourteen faces on it. The Doctor's face in the middle. She smiled when she saw that. She set it down and picked up the other picture. It was Gallifrey. It was the world that the Doctor had told her about and described to her a couple days ago. She took both of them and put them in her bag. She walked over the TARDIS and rubbed her hand across the door, humming.

"What's with Alex?" asked Max, "She's been happy ever since I've gotten home."

"I don't know," said Justin.

"It's obvious," smile Harper, "She has a major crush on the good Doctor."

"No," said Justin.

"Yes," said Harper, "She's been like this ever since she got back Sunday afternoon."  
"Happy and nice," said Max, "That's a side of her that scares me. I don't ever think I've seen her this happy in a long time, if ever."  
"Come on guys," said Alex as she made here way to the door, "We're going to be late for school."

"Oh my god," said Justin, "That is creepy."

"Told you, but even for me that was weird," said Harper.

"What did this Doctor do to Alex?" asked Max, "She's acting like a little kid."

"Made her happy and nice," said Justin, "I like this Doctor."

The other three had to catch up to Alex when they left the sub station. They noticed Frankie curled up in a ball scared. That creeped them out even more than they already were.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The Doctor walked for hours without even caring where he was going. He didn't care what part of the city he was in. He didn't care if he ran into another alien, a monster or even a murderer. All he could think about was that poor kid's face when he told him he had killed before. It was true, but the Doctor shouldn't have told the kid that.

The Doctor grew sick at how many lost their lives at his hands. He had killed more than all the murderers in the city of New York. He probably has killed more than all the murderers on the planet, but that was different. It was war. The killings weren't in cold blood. He wasn't the Master for goodness sake, but still he felt horrible. He couldn't stand the thought of killing anything, but he had done it before outside of war. He had done it to save lives and protect others. He thought about his past and his friends. He remembered all the companions he had ever had. They all left him either because they chose or he left them behind, but there were others who had died and there were some that had forgotten him.

He knew that Alex was starting to develop a crush on him. It was kind of obvious when she sat by him and fell asleep. He wondered if he could handle another companion when the TARDIS was fixed. He had been alone so long and that didn't help. Maybe he did need someone by his side. Being alone was no fun at all, but he made the best of it.

There had not been a companion after Ashton. Well actually there was Patience, but she didn't stay long. Now this seventeen year old girl, Alex Russo, was in his life. There was something about her, something special, but he couldn't figure out what it was. The TARDIS sensed it, but he hadn't. All the Doctor did know was that there was also a connection between them. Whether it was because of their mutual connections to the TARDIS or not, the Doctor couldn't say. All he could say was that in the last two days, he had been the happiest and most comfortable he had in ages. Last night when he was sitting there with Alex a sense of calm had overwhelmed him. Maybe, just maybe, after all these years, he might have found the first family he had since Gallifrey. Sure there had been other times, but this time was different. He wasn't sure why. It could be because of the time energy coursing through most of the family. The mother and the girl Harper were the only two that were never receptors to that kind of time energy. The Doctor didn't care. If he had to be stranded anywhere, he was glad it was here with these people. There will be some crazy things to come and he'll be ready.

The Doctor smiled and stopped walking. He looked around and for the first time he realized where he was. He was at an old theater that closed down years ago it looked. He had seen this place before, but he couldn't figure out when. It was probably a long ago time in his past. He knew the theater was not for movies, but for plays and things like that. A knot grew in the Doctor's stomach, but he didn't know why. It troubled him that he couldn't remember. He remembered something about a cult but nothing more. He thought to himself why did he walk and stop at this theater when there are hundreds, if not thousands, of others in the city. Why this one? What makes this theater so special? The Doctor stood there thinking was it his subconscious that led him here or was it the Rift wanting him to find out its secret. He had to find out why this theater was so special and why it looked familiar to him. What was with this cult he remembered? More importantly, why was this theater giving him the giant knot in his gut?

He threw the feelings to the side and started to walk back to the sub station. He knew how to get back and he wasn't in any particular hurry to either. He wanted to know what was happening because he realized the only thing he went walking for was to see the closed down theater. After that he wanted to go back. Something was giving him hints to the creation of the Rift, but he wasn't connecting the dots. He wanted to know more. He wanted to know about that theater. He wanted to know why, of all the places, did he crash in front of that sub station. He had a feeling that strings were being pulled and he didn't like it. Maybe it was mere coincidence. He had lived long enough to know that most things were not coincidences, but there were those special occasions. This might just be one of them. Well anyway he continued walking and only then noticing how hungry he was. He smiled at the thought of having another Zamba lizard tasting sandwich from the Waverly Sub Station.

As he walked back to the sub station, the Doctor thought again about having another companion. He liked the thought of it. No, actually, he loved the thought of it. He had been traveling on his own for way too long. He needed someone to be there by his side. He had an idea of who that would be, but he needed to get her parents okay before he would take her on as his new companion. He thought to himself how Alex would react to him asking if she wanted to go and travel with him as he continued on his way.

***

Alex was hanging around her locker without the usual attitude. Something had changed in her and others could see it. She knew it was more to it than just a little crush on the Doctor. She had had crushes and loves before, but this was a new feeling. She had never felt like this before. She wondered if the energy she got from the TARDIS during the battle could have anything to do with it or not. She didn't know and she didn't care. She was happy and she liked it. The more she thought about it the more she realized that the Doctor and her were alike in so many ways. They both are loners. They both are experts at breaking the rules. But the one thing that Alex respects the most about the Doctor and even feels bad for him is his emotional pain. Sure she had had her trials and tribulations. There were times that she had had her heart broken and there were times that she felt like the world was ending, but for the Doctor it did. Whenever she was in trouble or hurting, Alex always had a family and a friend to go to. They always helped and made it better for her. The Doctor, however, when he got his heart broken or something happened to him that caused sadness, there was no one for him. His planet and his people were gone. He had no one. Alex couldn't imagine going through something like that. She never thought of it, but what would happen if she had no one to go to. She would be torn up inside and hide her feelings because no one would be there for her to talk to. That kind of loneliness could be released in the form of rage. Alex had seen a little bit of the Doctor's rage. It was in his eyes when he talked about the Daleks. He had actually scared her with those ancient eyes.

She thought about what else she saw in those eyes. She saw the depth of them. She could only imagine what they had seen. All the planet and wonders of the universe. All the happiness, joy and love. All the pain, sorrow and death. She saw the way he looked at not just her but humans. He was so caring, but so wrathful when he thought about other things. She couldn't understand how one man could be so complex. She wanted to understand how one person could be so caring but wrathful, so loving but so full of hate, so happy yet so sad. It puzzled her.

She could relate some to him though. She bottled things up more than she would admit. She hated being the middle child. Justin was getting attention for everything as long as she could remember because he was a massive overachiever and then there was Max. He got so much attention because he was the youngest. She always felt like she had to prove herself, but no matter how hard she tried, she felt like she couldn't measure up to her brothers. For as long as she could remember, she had to watch out for her own back. She grew up having to rely on no one but herself. She only made one true friend in her own life, Harper. Even then she treated her badly sometimes, and she knew it, but she didn't what else to do, she was hurting inside. She felt alone sometimes even though she had her family and friend.

Up until Saturday she wouldn't have cared about thinking about it because she hated thinking about it. Something in her changed. She knew it was the Doctor. He stormed into her life. Someone more lonely than she was or ever will be for that matter. He made her realize how lucky she was to actually have a family and friend. It was like he was an angel sent into her life. She smiled at that. The Doctor was an angel and he was a lonely one at that. He was the Lonely Angel she thought. She liked the ring of that, the Lonely Angel. And what this Lonely Angel, the Doctor, had told her was something she had hardly ever heard in her home. The Doctor was proud of her. The Doctor came and showed her that she was his favorite of the three. She didn't have to prove anything to him. She realized that that was the source of her happiness. She had someone in her life now that was proud to now her. That was all she wanted. She did love her family, but she needed someone to be like the Doctor. The Doctor was blessing in her life and she didn't want him to leave. She didn't want him to leave at all. Because if he did, her heart would be broken, more so than all the other times it had been. She wanted to be with him forever.

Now because of the Doctor's arrival in her life, Alex wanted to make something good come out of it. She vowed to turn her life around. Not for her family, but for the Doctor. The Doctor seemed to know a lot about everything, including to their wizarding abilities. She wondered if her dad would let the Doctor be her teacher. She thought she would get more done by the Doctor teaching her by herself instead of her dad with her and her brothers. Her parents would never admit it, but she knew it. Justin was their dad's favorite because of his dedication to everything he does and Max was their mother's favorite because he was the baby of the family. She was always second and she knew it. Now there was someone in her life that she was his favorite. Sure the Doctor doesn't really know Justin or Max, but she didn't care. All she just hoped for was that the Doctor would agree. He had a lot of work to do on his TARDIS to get it repaired. She just hoped that he had enough time to teach her. She smiled. He is a _Time_ _Lord_. Of course he has enough time. He is a Lord of Time.

The bell rang and brought her back to reality. She ran to class and couldn't wait to get home after school and see the Doctor and his TARDIS again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It was two in the afternoon when the Doctor made it back to the Waverly Sub Station. He walked into the restaurant and sat down at his normal place at the bar. There were a few customers sitting at the tables.

Jerry didn't see that it was the Doctor who walked in. He asked, "Welcome to the Waverly Sub Station. How may I take your order?"

"Do you have a dematerialization circuit in your storage room?" smirked the Doctor.

"A dematerial what?" Jerry looked up confused. He saw that it was the Doctor staring back at him smiling. Jerry finished with, "Oh Doctor, where've you been all day?"  
"Walking around the city. I just had an urge to go and walk. I made my way to this one closed down theater that I swear I've been to before, but I can't place where. Well anyway, I would like another Surprise Me Sandwich."

"You like those?" asked Jerry.

"Actually yes," said the Doctor. He looked around for the two pictures he had drawn earlier, "Hey Jerry, were there two drawings here earlier?"  
"Yeah I think so, but Alex took them," said Jerry, "Why?"

"Oh no reason," said the Doctor, "One of them was for Alex anyway."

"Which one?"

"The Gallifrey one," replied the Doctor, "It was a drawing of Wild Endeavor."

"Wild Endeavor?" asked Jerry.

"It's my home continent on Gallifrey," answered the Doctor, "The sky was burnt orange. Planets with orange skies are rare. So rare that there are only a handful in existence. Gallifrey's nicknamed the Shining World of the Seven Systems. It was perfect to look at."  
"Was?" asked Jerry.

"It's. It's. It's perfect to look at," stammered the Doctor.

"I have a question. How did you two sleep last night in that little place?"

"Alex fell asleep on some chairs in the control room and went to my own room," said the Doctor.

"How?" asked Jerry.

"It's bigger on the inside," replied the Doctor, "Do you want to see?"

"Can I?"

"Yeah but the control room is damaged," replied the Doctor as he walked to the TARDIS with Jerry following him.

The Doctor walked into the TARDIS followed by Jerry. Jerry just stood there is awe. He had seen things in the wizard world that were bigger on the inside, but those were just containers and smaller things than a room. This was unlike anything that he had ever seen before. There was no way anything this big could fit into something as small as the police box outside. He walked onto the stage to where the Doctor was standing. Jerry saw all the controls and where there was supposed to be a drum set there was an engine looking thing that was glowing light blue.

"This is the TARDIS control room," said the Doctor, "It's one room out of many within the TARDIS walls."

"Only one room," said Jerry, "This is impossible."

"My people took the word impossible and threw it into the time vortex. There are very few things that the Time Lords considered impossible. My people were the most advanced and mighty race in the entire universe."

Jerry kept wondering why the Doctor would refer to his people and planet in the past tense. He kept thinking that they didn't want anything to do with him or that the Doctor ran away. He was determined to find out why the Doctor kept saying were, was, and other past tense words. "Do you want to see the rest of the TARDIS or do you need to get back to work?" asked the Doctor.

Jerry wanted to stay and find out more but the Doctor was right. He had to get back to work, but he would figure this out. "Yeah I better get back to work."

"That's fine," said the Doctor, "I need to start the repairs on the TARDIS."

"What about your sandwich?"

"Just put it on one of the chairs when you make it," replied the Doctor.

"Okay," said Jerry as he walked out of the TARDIS back into the sub station.

The Doctor walked to where debris was on the floor. He picked up a chunk of TARDIS wall and decided that no one would find anything wrong with it. He dropped the piece and walked into the storage room closest to the where he was. He put it next to the debris and started to throw it away. He didn't even notice when Jerry came back in a few minutes later and put his order on the back row of chairs.

"Doctor," said Jerry.

The Doctor turned around and saw that his sandwich was there. The Doctor just nodded and went back to work. He walked around the whole control room throwing the larger pieces into the trash can that seemed to never get full. It was Time Lord like the TARDIS and the Doctor's pockets. It was bigger on the inside. The Doctor spent the next hour or so cleaning up the TARDIS. He remembered his sandwich and went to eat it. It tasted different from the last time he had one, but he knew it was because he was eating it cold this time.

After all the big pieces were thrown away, he went back to the closet and pulled out a broom and dust pan. He swept the smaller pieces of debris into the dust pan. It took him a while to clean that and before he realized it, it was after four in the afternoon. He had been cleaning for the last two hours and didn't realize it. He glanced at the TARDIS control console and saw that his ship was sleeping. He decided to wait to clean the rest until the TARDIS was awake. Only then did he realize how hot he was. He took off his blue jacket and changed from yellow sweatpants into yellow shorts.

He walked out of the TARDIS in a purple T-shirt and yellow shorts. He knew he looked funny, but he didn't care. After all he was a little eccentric. He thought to himself that if all the people that were looking at him funny now had seen his sixth incarnation in his wacked out multicolored coat and that umbrella he used to carry, then they would think he looked normal in his purple/yellow combination.

He walked to the bar and noticed that there was no one there. He looked around and realized that there was no one even in the sub station. He shrugged and started walking back to the TARDIS when he felt a tingle run down his back. He whirled around and walked to the freezer door and opened it to the room which the Russos called the "Wizard Lair". He walked into the room silently and watched as the dad was teaching Alex and Max some magic. The Doctor noticed Justin wasn't there and he came to the conclusion that Justin had graduated from this area of study.

The Doctor overheard Jerry ask the Alex and Max which creature's were immune to magic. The Doctor smiled as he kept hearing some crazy answers from the boy. He saw that Alex was just sitting there not paying attention.

"Uh-hum," said Jerry, "Alex, do you have any guesses."  
"What? I don't know," she said going back into la la land.

"Well, there is no answer because it's a trick question. There are no creatures immune to magic. Magic can be used on any living thing," explained Jerry.

"That's not true," inserted the Doctor, "Sorry for interrupting, but there are two species in the universe immune to 'magic'."

"Which would be?" asked Jerry.

"My people for one, the Time Lords," answered the Doctor, "And the other." The Doctor stopped and looked around.

"The other one is?" asked Jerry.

The Doctor looked at Jerry with pure disgust on the Doctor's face. He answered, "The other species is called the Daleks."  
At the sound of the words Daleks, Alex looked up at the Doctor with worry. She was the only one that the Doctor had told what the Daleks were. She remembered the rage, hate and fear that was written on the Doctor's face when he told her what they did to his people and about the War. She didn't want to meet any Daleks then, but now that the Doctor said that they were immune, that made her not want to meet the Daleks anymore. She wondered if the Doctor had told the rest of her family, but looking at the confused looked on her dad's face, she knew that the Doctor hadn't told anyone else. Maybe he should she thought. He should just so the rest of her family knew what the Daleks could do.

"What are the Daleks?" asked Jerry.

"The ultimate ethic cleansers," said the Doctor.

"What does that mean?" asked Max.

"It means that the kill anything they don't like," replied Jerry, "Who didn't they like?"  
"Anything that was not a Dalek," replied the Doctor, "They are the reason for the War."

"The War?" asked Jerry.

The Doctor's eyes glazed over as he thought back to the War, the Time War. He saw it all. He was at the Battle of the Gates of Elysium. He was at the destruction of the Nestene Protein Planets. He saw six billion humans die at the fall of Arcadia. He still hadn't gotten over that one. He was there when the Dalek emperor took control of the Cruciform near the end of the War. He was there at the Skaro Degradations. He witnessed the Horde of Travesties. He fought the Could've Been King and the Could've Been King's army of Mean Whiles and Never Weres. The Doctor even laughed in the very face of the Nightmare Child itself, when Arcadia fell. The Doctor was there when Skaro turned dark and then exploded. He was there when his own world and people died. He saw his beautiful planet turned into a dark, burnt husk before being torn apart by the solar winds of the Twin Suns, but there was something else. Something so far back in the Doctor's past and so terrible he never wanted to think about it again. It was how the Time War ended. The Doctor knew how the Time War ended. He knew why the two sides suddenly were destroyed. He never told anyone this secret. He never wanted to because they would think him a monster. The only person who knew what he had done was the Master, another Time Lord survivor, who was now dead. The Doctor called this part of his past the Dark Secret. His Dark Secret. It was also called by another name by some species. It was called the Doctor's Inferno.

He hated thinking about it so he snapped back to reality with Jerry wanting to know about the War.

"Well Doctor, the War?" asked Jerry.

Alex got up and went to her dad. She looked him dead in the face and shook her head no.

"Alex it's alright. I think they should know, but later. I'll tell you all about the War, the Time War, whenever I have time. I have to get back to cleaning up my TARDIS." The Doctor left the Wizard Lair and the three Russos were left alone. Max wanted to know what was going on and so did the dad.

"Alex what do you know that you are not telling me?"

"Dad," replied Alex, "It's not my place to tell. The Doctor should be the one to tell you, but he will need a lot of time to think about telling you."

"Why?" asked Jerry.

"He has to," replied Alex, "It's too big a secret for me to tell. I don't think he tells all of his friends what he told me."

"How bad can it be?" asked Max.

"Bad Max, very bad," replied Alex.

Jerry noticed the sincerity in his daughter's voice and in her eyes so he didn't press the subject even more. He decided to end the class early and Max left the room as soon as he could, but Alex stayed behind. There was something she wanted to ask her dad.

"Alex why are you still here? You're usually the first one gone," said Jerry.

"Dad there is something I want to ask you about wizard training," said Alex.

"Of course what is it?" asked Jerry.

"If it's okay with the Doctor, I was wondering if the Doctor could teach me. One on one," explained Alex.

"Alex I'm sure the Doctor has his plate full at the moment. He showed me the damage earlier today. He may not have time to teach you. Remember the last time that you wanted someone else to teach you your wizard skills. That didn't go so good," Jerry reminded Alex.

"I know that didn't but the Doctor is different. I know he is," said Alex.

It was then that Jerry saw the longing in his daughter's eyes. He had never seen her look like this before. He wondered what kind of effect that the Doctor was having on his daughter. She seemed happy whenever he was around.

"Where would he teach you?" asked Jerry.

"His TARDIS maybe," answered Alex.

The TARDIS. She did like to spend time in the TARDIS. The atmosphere was different in there. He felt it earlier, maybe Alex did to but somehow felt it differently.

He thought about it for a few seconds and came to a decision, "If it is okay with the Doctor, then it's okay with me."

"Thank you Dad," said Alex, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Alex ran out of the wizard lair into the sub station and before going into the TARDIS she composed herself before popping the question to the Doctor.

She opened the doors to the TARDIS and went inside. She looked around, but the Doctor was no where in sight. She walked through the rows of chairs. It looked cleaner than it had earlier. The chunks of wall and all the dust was cleaned off. The Doctor must cleaned the TARDIS while she was at school. Alex walked to the front of the chairs and saw that the Doctor hadn't cleaned up where she slept last night.

She didn't mean to do it but she fell asleep next to the Doctor last night. Instead of waking her and sending her to her own room, the Doctor just left her there sound asleep. He made the chair more comfortable and wider so she wouldn't fall off if she rolled over too far. He had also gotten her pillow, which she didn't feel him moving her head when she was asleep, and he had gotten her a blanket and covered her up. She liked that. She liked it a lot. She laughed inside when she remembered waking up in the TARDIS. She had no idea where she was. She got nervous until the sense of calm she had felt other times washed over her. It was then she knew she was in the Doctor's TARDIS.

She knew the Doctor wasn't in here, but where was he. She walked back into the sub station and then made her way to the door. She saw the Doctor sitting on the step to the Waverly Sub Station entrance. She walked outside and sat next to the Doctor. He was staring off into space and didn't even notice her sit there until she put her head on his shoulder again.

The Doctor's glossed over eyes returned back to the ancient green eyes that she loved looking into, but at the same time feared looking into them. He sat there and without saying a word, put his head on top of hers making Alex smile. It was nice.

All the years of loneliness were slowly but surely melting away. He loved that. He smiled as a big empty hole in his ancient hearts were being filled, not just by Alex but her family as well. All the years of traveling and living by himself had made him cold and callous. He just hoped that he wouldn't have to show the animal that was caged inside of him. Ever since Saturday that animal was being tamed. The Doctor hadn't had anyone by his side in nearly 400 years. Now he had six people in his lives that were not going to go away. He needed them and he knew it, but the way he was feeling towards the girl sitting next to him gave him conflictions. If he was growing emotionally attached to her, he knew she was too young. She is just a kid. Rose was just a kid and so was Sarah Jane. Not to mention River Song and Ashton. They were all kids compared to him. Even Romana, another Time Lord, who was over 100 years old was a kid when those two met and grew emotionally attached. He thought to himself that everything in the universe was a kid to him. The only other creatures that could rival the Doctor's immortality were wiped out in the Time War.

After a few minutes Alex said, "Doctor, I have a question for you."  
"Yes?" replied the Doctor not moving.

"Can you teach me my wizard studies one on one?" asked Alex.

The Doctor didn't reply immediately. He sat there with a smile on his face. He was happy. He was actually happy for the first time in years. He wasn't afraid to show it. He wasn't worrying about what could happen in the future. All he could think about was the present and a bright and shining future, not one of doom and gloom. He closed his eyes. He didn't want to leave this place. He couldn't but that wasn't the point. Even if he could leave this place, he wouldn't want to. He was happy and loving it her. For more than one reason, the Doctor thought looking down at Alex. He closed his eyes and said, "Yes."  
"What?" asked Alex.

"Yes, I'll teach you your wizard studies, just promise me you won't blow me off like you do your dad or anyone else," replied the Doctor.

"I can't promise that completely, but I'll try," said Alex.

"That's good," said the Doctor lifting his head off of Alex's, "We should move before the dinner rush gets in here."

"Yeah, you're right," replied Alex lifting her head off of the Doctor's shoulder.

The Doctor and Alex stood up and embraced each other in a hug before returning into the Waverly Sub Station.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The Doctor and Alex walked back into the sub station as Jerry and Theresa were getting ready for the evening. Alex ran over to her dad and hugged him. Theresa looked confused at why Alex would want to hug someone. She looked at the Doctor. Something in him changed as well. His ancient, painfilled eyes were gone and were replaced by younger, happier eyes. His whole expression had changed. He was happy. He wasn't the angry and lonely person she saw the Saturday that the Doctor crashed into their lives.

"He said yes, didn't he?" Jerry asked with a smirk on his face.

"Yes he did," answered Alex as he let go and ran upstairs.

"What was that all about?" asked Theresa.

"I'll tell you later," said Jerry, "We need to get ready for the dinner rush."

Jerry looked at the Doctor and he too noticed the difference in his expression just like in Alex. Jerry didn't know what those two did to each other, but he wasn't complaining. Alex was happy and cheerful. That was something she hadn't been in years and it was something he missed seeing from his daughter. He didn't know that much about the Doctor, but he was glad the Doctor came charging into their lives. It was like an answer to a prayer. The family was at a breaking point, but in the last few days they were united again. He was happy, no he was joyous, as he continued to get ready for the evening shift.

The Doctor walked over to his TARDIS and went inside. He walked over to the first row of chairs and sat on the right end and broke down and cried. These tears were different than the other he had cried. These tears were not those of sadness, pain and loss. These tears were those of happiness and joy and love. He was home. He had a home. After over a thousand years of wandering, after an entire millenia since the collapse of Gallifrey, he had a place to stay. He had a place to live. He had a family to live with and love with. It was weird, but he was accustomed to weird.

The Doctor got up and walked through the doors to the left of the TARDIS control console. He walked down a hallway. He walked into another holographic room, but this was different than the other one. This one was a three dimensional photo album. He pushed the button that said companions. It opened up and there was Susan, his very first companion and his granddaughter, he pushed the arrow on the right of Susan's 3-D image. It switched to a man and woman together, Ian and Barbara. He continued to press the button and every companion he had flashed before his eyes.

He looked through them all. His first incarnation's companions: Susan, Ian, Barbara, Vicki, Steven, Katarina, Sara, Dodo, Ben and Polly. Ben and Polly were there during his first regeneration and then eventually left.

The companions of his second incarnation started to show Jamie, Victoria, and Zoe. Then he remembered having been taken prisoner and put on trial by his people. He was forced to regenerate into his third incarnation. During his third incarnation he only had three companions. He thought that was funny. Three companions for Doctor number three. Liz, Jo, and Sarah Jane.

He went to his fourth incarnation's companions: Sarah Jane, Harry, Leela, K-9 Marks I and II, Romana I and Romana II, Adric, Nyssa, and Tegan. Adric, Nyssa, and Tegan stayed with him to his fifth self. Then Turlough, Kamelion and Peri joined him. Peri was the only one who stayed until his sixth form.

He remembered being put on trial again by his people. They tried to kill him at the hands of the Valeyard. The evil of that man knew no bounds. The Doctor was quite surprised that the Valeyard was able to keep his cool most of the time. It was then that Peri left him and was replaced by Mel and then Ace in the Doctor's seventh form.

His mind left him as the companions of his eighth self went by and then his ninth self. Grace, Rose, Adam and Captain Jack. His tenth form's companions followed: Rose again, Sarah Jane had returned to his life, Mickey, Donna, Martha, Captain Jack again, Astrid, Jackson Lake, Rosita, Lady Christina de Souza, Adelaide Brooke, and Wilfred Mott, Donna's grandfather.

His eleventh form's companions cycles through: Amy, River and several others. Then the companions to his twelfth and thirteenth incarnations ran through. It was the sight of Ashton that snapped him back. Now his companions cycled through: Ashton, Stevens, Captain Jack again, Patience, and now Alex was added to honored list of companions. He looked at her and smiled. He then pushed a few buttons on the holographic photo room and the entire Russo family appeared along with Harper. He walked around the holographic projection and smiled at his new family. He was home and he loved it. He walked out of the photo room and back into the TARDIS hallway.

He walked back into his room and changed in his yellow pants again. He sat down on his bed when he heard a voice yell for him. He jumped up and ran to the TARDIS control room. He heard another yell right before he burst into the TARDIS control room and saw Theresa standing there.

"Was that you?" asked the Doctor with a disbelieving face.

"Yes it was," replied Theresa.

"Man you've got a set of lungs," said the Doctor.

"Thank you," replied Theresa. Theresa didn't seem surprised or shocked to see the TARDIS was bigger on the inside.

The Doctor noticed that and asked her, "You don't find it a little weird that this giant room fits into that little police box?"

"Doctor, I was a normal person who married a wizard. Ever since then I've learned to expect the unexpected."

The Doctor smiled, "Now that's funny. The only one in the family who is not a wizard, but a normal person is the only one not freaked out by the size of the inside of the TARDIS."

"Yeah, I know, huh," Theresa smiled back.

The then went serious and asked, "You bullhorned my named. What can I do for you?  
"I wanted to invite you to dinner after we close up the restaurant," said Theresa.

"When will that be?" asked the Doctor.

"Around eight," said Theresa.

"So about three hours?"

"Yes," she said.

"I don't know," said the Doctor. He stood there wanting to go, but not wanting to at the same time.

"It would mean a lot to Alex, Doctor," said Theresa.

That was all it took, "At eight? I'll be there."

"Thank you," said Theresa, "I know the way she looks at you. She likes you a lot. She doesn't know that I am inviting you to dinner tonight. I want it to be a surprise."

"I'll be there," said the Doctor as Theresa left the TARDIS.

The Doctor sat down in the first row of chairs again. His world was changing fast and he didn't know why. He still felt like strings were being pulled and he wasn't sure why, but now he didn't care if they were. He knew that the emotional war would continue in his body for days to weeks. He had a thousand years of pain and sorrow to get through, but he would make it with this family's help. He just knew he would.

Outside the TARDIS, the dinner rush came in and people didn't even notice the big blue box that was next to the stairs. The perception filter was working fine. There were some that noticed it and asked what it was all about. After about two hours, the dinner rush ended and the Russos started cleaning the sub station.

During the two hours of dinner rush, the Doctor was searching the rooms of the TARDIS for something he hadn't needed or wanted in a long time, but now he wanted it. He searched and searched and searched before finally finding it. It was a metal dog thing.

"There you are K-9," the Doctor said as he fixed it up. The Doctor repaired the dog and cleaned him up.

"Ma-Ma-Master," mumbled K-9 Mark VII.

"There there K-9," said the Doctor.

"Master! You fixed me!" exclaimed an excited K-9.

"Yes I did," said the Doctor.

"Where is Mistress Ashton?" asked K-9.

"Gone," said the Doctor, "But there is another mistress, Mistress Alex."  
"Can I see her?" asked K-9.

"You will in about," the Doctor looked at clock, "Seven thirty. You will see her in about half and hour. Can you wait that long?"

"Affirmative," replied K-9,

"There you go. Such a good dog," said the Doctor scratching behind on of K-9's metal ears.

"Affirmative!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Ten minutes till eight, the Doctor put his blue jacket back on and walked out of the TARDIS followed by K-9. The Doctor walked up the stairs and K-9 elevated off the ground and followed the Doctor up the staircase. The Doctor walked into the Russo's home for the first time since the Hoix incident. He saw Theresa and Harper standing behind the bar and Jerry, Justin, Max and Alex sitting at the table. The Doctor saw Alex's face light up when he walked into the room. K-9 floated in behind the Doctor before landing on the floor next to him. Everyone looked at the mechanical dog and then back to the Doctor.

The Doctor went and took a seat next to Alex. He saw all the faces looking back at him and the years of sadness and loneliness melted away. The animal that was growing and fuming inside of him was being subdued and tamed. The Doctor was home. He had a home to live in and was so happy. He didn't want to leave.

***

Alex sat down next to her dad at the dining room table. There was an extra seat at the table and she didn't know why. She heard someone coming up the staircase and she looked and saw the Doctor walking up, now in his trademark jacket and sweatpants. She looked at him in the eyes, but this time they were different. They were not as old looking. They were not as painfilled and lonely. They were young and happy and comforted. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

She saw something move behind the Doctor. It was a floating metal dog that landed to the Doctor's right. She had never seen anything like it before. The dog rolled its way to the bar and stayed there. The Doctor walked up to the chair next to Alex's and took it. She saw the way he looked at everyone in the family. He was so happy, she thought to herself. She felt a sense of pride that she had helped this man out of darkness. She never would admit it to her family, but she did like helping people and she knew it was not just her, it was all of them.

***

Harper and Theresa took their seats at the table and the food was passed around. The table was full of smiles and laughter. The Doctor thought back to his other companions. He thought about the first time he took humans on a trip in the TARDIS. He went through all of his adventures and companions, from Susan, Ian and Barbara all the way to the Russo family. The Doctor smiled as he saw all the bright and shining faces of his friends. He didn't think about the heartbreak they gave him. He didn't want to ruin the moment. He looked around and thought to himself that of all the places to be stranded in the universe for a few months to a year, he was glad it was here with this family.

Out of the blue, he felt the knot return to his stomach and jerked inside. The others didn't notice, they were having too good a time. The Doctor was jarred out of his daydream and he didn't like it. He looked around and didn't see anything. He needed to find out why his gut was knotted.

Just as suddenly as it appeared, it vanished. The Doctor decided the time to worry would be later. All he needed to at this very minute was to live in the present and enjoy the moment, and he most certainly would.

"So Doctor," said Justin, "Do you want to tell us about one of your trips?"  
The Doctor looked up and answered, "Yeah, I tell you one. There are just so many though. What should I talk about? The Aztecs, Romans, Pompeii, The Key to Time, Silurians."

"What about Gallifrey?" asked Theresa.

The Doctor looked around at the table. Only Alex knew what happened to Gallifrey. The Doctor told her when they first met. She was ready to hear the story again, but she knew that the Doctor would leave out the part of the Time War and the destruction of his people.

"Well, where do I start?" the Doctor asked himself, "Gallifrey the Shining World of the Seven Systems. The sky is a burnt orange with a citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, glistening under the twin suns. Beyond that the mountains go on forever, slopes of deep red grass capped with snow. When the second sun would rise in the south, the mountains would shine. There were forests all over that planet. Their leaves were silver and when the sunlight would hit those leaves they looked like a forest on fire.

"On the continent of Wild Endeavor, between the Mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood the citadel of Time Lords, the oldest and most mighty race in the universe. Looking down upon the galaxies below. They swore never to interfere only to watch. There were some Time Lords like myself that were dubbed renegades because we didn't believe on just watching, we wanted to do something. Renegade Time Lords are the ones that are traveling through time and space unchecked. For better or for worse."

The family watched as the Doctor's face was so sincere, even his eyes were tearing up as he explained and described his home.

The Doctor decided it was now or never. They were all together. He would tell them about the War, the Time War, the Last Great Time War.

"It sounds so beautiful," said Harper.

"It was beautiful," said the Doctor.

Alex looked at the Doctor with "Are you sure you want to tell them?" look in her eyes.

The Doctor noticed it and replied, "Alex, I think they should know. I have to stop pretending. I have to stop lying to myself. I have to face the truth."

"What truth?" asked Jerry suspiciously.

"I lied to you. I lied to you all. I could pretend, just for a bit I could imagine that they were still alive beneath the burnt orange sky, but they're not. I'm not just a Time Lord, I'm the last of the Time Lords. There's no one else. It's just me, it's only me."  
A looked of shock waved over everyone but Alex. He had told her this all before.

"What happened?" asked Justin.

"War. Simple as that. There was a war. A time war. The Last Great Time War. My people fought a race of being called the Daleks for the sake of creation and they lost, we lost, everyone lost. Now they're all gone, they're all dead. My family, my friends, even that sky."

That was it Jerry said to himself. That the source of the Doctor's hatred towards the Daleks. He finally found out the truth, but wished he hadn't. It wasn't what he expected. He thought the Doctor might have been some terrible criminal, not the last of his people.

"As the Time War raged, the universe convulsed. It was beaten and battered. Tears in reality started occurring all over the place. It was invisible to the smaller species, but devastating to the higher forms of life."  
"If your a Time Lord and can travel through time, why can't you go back and save your people?" asked Max.

"Because of the Time Lock. The Time Lock was put into place for that very thing. The Time War was so devastating and powerful, that any alteration could tear the universe itself apart. Besides nothing can get in or get out of a time lock except for something was already there. Even then I still would never go back into the Time War. The War turned into Hell."

"Can we talk about something else?" asked Harper, "This is depressing."  
"Of course we can," said the Doctor, "What do you want to know about?"

"What about the Romans?" asked Justin.

"Okay," said the Doctor, "Just so you know that fire had nothing to do with me. Well maybe something to do with me." The Doctor smiled as he went on with his story about his adventures through time and space. This was going to be one fun night he thought to himself.

**The End**


End file.
